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Notes from Planning Meeting – 6th June 2019

With less than a month to go til this year’s Party in the Park, the committee had lots to discuss at their recent meeting.

Present:  Adrian, Steve, Simon, Jo, Colin, Charlie, Dee, Nigel, Clare

Site preparation: we are arranging for the grass to be cut prior to the event and improved fencing to make the site more secure. Charlie is building us steps to access the stage.

Site layout:  much discussion took place on where to put the toilets! We have more loos this year for both men and women and as such may have to re-think where they are located.  We also have bigger inflatables which need careful consideration due to the logistics of power cables.  The team decided to meet up at the field later in the month to discuss further. We discussed lighting and confirmed it will be improved for the end of the evening to help people navigate the field when they leave.

Site security:  sadly, we had some trouble last year with teens.  Our professional security team will be patrolling the gate and site to ensure no under-age drinking takes place.  Under age drinkers will be escorted off site along with their appropriate adult. Alcohol not purchased on site will be confiscated. The team are volunteers organising an event for the whole community and should not have to put up with abuse from anyone of any age.  We will have a zero-tolerance policy on drunken or abusive behaviour towards both our volunteers and security team and offenders will be removed from site.

Posters:  posters have been printed and distributed throughout the team to put up around the village and local areas. (see below if you can help with posters)

Rubbish and recycling: we are improving the ability to sort out rubbish on the day. Our clean up volunteers had quite the job last year on the Sunday attempting to separate the landfill waste form the recycling.  It was a hard messy job that required strong marigolds! We’re hoping to improve the sorting this year with better signage on the bins and lids on some which will only be for certain recycling eg cans/bottles.

Weather:  we spent far too much time discussing the weather!  The event WILL take place whatever the weather, but obviously contingency plans need to be in place if the worst happens.  We will be monitoring the weather forecast closely and if heavy rain looks likely then we will put plans in place to protect the stage and other electrics fully.

Raffle:  we have some absolutely amazing prizes for the raffle this year which we will be advertising soon.  We will be selling tickets throughout the day and nighttime event and the raffle will be drawn the following day.  All proceeds from the raffle will be split between the stroke ward at Musgrove Hospital and another charity of Mandy Knight’s choosing to honour her late husband David Knight, who was a key member of the PIP team.

Tickets:  Teen tickets are very nearly sold out, and child tickets are running low.  Plenty of adult tickets are still available.  Tickets can be purchased at Creech School Fair of Friday 14th June 3.45-5.30pm or see the tickets page.

How can YOU help?

We always need volunteers for jobs big and small in the run up to the event, on the day, and following the event.  If you can help – for as much or as little as you are able – we would love to hear from you.  Email us, message us on Facebook or speak to one of the team about how you can get involved.  We currently need help with:

  1. Poster distribution – are you able to put up a poster at your work or a notice board near you?  Posters available to download and print or you can contact us to request a paper copy.
  2. Friday  – we need strong bodies on the day before the event for lots of manual jobs at the field.  Please let us know if you can help.
  3. Saturday clean-up – bins need to be emptied, toilets need to checked/cleaned, field needs to be setup for evening, rubbish cleared from field.
  4. Sunday clean-up – many hands make light work!  If you can help clear the site the next morning please just turn up and dig in.

In Memoriam – David Knight

David Knight
David Knight

The team were deeply saddened to lose one of our team earlier this month.

David Knight passed away on 16th February following a short illness.

Dave had been part of the PIP organising committee since 2014 and his passing will leave a huge hole in our team and he will be deeply missed by everyone.

Dave was a key member of the team, who helped with all aspects of the event.  He was at all the planning meetings throughout the year without fail and was responsible for the bands, stage, plant hire, bar stock collection, site plan and layout of the field.  He was always on hand with his van for any deliveries in the run up to the event and his business contacts were invaluable for not just services but also sponsorship. 

On the day of the event Dave would be on site from early in the morning till late at night getting stuck in with all the jobs, big or small. Whether it was litter picking, serving at the bar or moving hay bales Dave was happy to get involved in it all.  We were particularly impressed with his Zumba demo skills one year!

The PIP team had this to say about Dave:

 “It was an absolute pleasure to work with David and he will genuinely be missed by us all.  I will always picture him wearing a yellow T-shirt, a big smile and holding a glass of red! He was a lovely friendly man and it was a privilege to call him a friend” – Jo

 “I will really miss a very dear friend in Dave. Dave’s dedication and enthusiasm to PIP was second to none and the PIP team are going to make sure that 2019 is one to remember in his honour. The Creech Parish has lost a key member of the community, it is a very sad time.” – Adrian

“David was a pleasure to work alongside on the PIP committee in the few years I knew him.   His incredibly positive, ‘can do’ attitude, great sense of humour and above all his willingness to get involved in any way necessary to get the million ‘things’ done behind the scenes to create a hugely successful and memorable community occasion, made him an invaluable team member.  What a loss to our team and our community. He will be missed greatly by us all” – Bev

“David always had a smile on his face and a calm head, even when things were not going completely to plan…  He did so much for our community and in particular Ham.  I feel very proud to have called him a friend and colleague and his rum punch was legendary x” – Clare

“David will be genuinely missed. He was a pleasure to work with at PIP and was always cheerful, no matter what was going on!” – Dee

“Working with David was always a pleasure; his reassuring smile was a comfort especially if things were not going as hoped.  I feel privileged to have known and worked alongside him at PIP, as a Parish councillor and during other community events.  I’m so glad our paths crossed, and I’ve had the pleasure of calling David my friend.  He will always be in our hearts.” – Mina

In addition to being a key member of PIP Dave also organised trips for the Ham Clan, ran his own successful business, and was a member of Creech St Michael Parish Council for several years. 

Our thoughts are with David’s wife Mandy and his family at this heart-breaking time.